Gestalt Theory
by ImmortalHK
Summary: Two teams try to keep themselves together through the war
1. Chapter 1

"It doesn't have to be this way, motor."

Onslaught was exhausted. Starscream was enough of a pain without the vile leader of the stunticons on his tail.

"Whatever, big shot! Now that starscream's in charge, you losers think you can strut around and take run of the place! I'm not having it! You can't take the spot we worked so hard for!"

"Star is in charge. That puts my team directly below the seeker command trine. I was top strategist before that, it's just the way it is motormaster."

"I bet you know all about how it is, you kiss up! Whatever, my stunticons could tear your worthless team apart!"

Onslaught laughed.

"What's so funny, screamer's pet?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Don't mess with me, pet! What's funny!?"

Onslaught really didn't want to start a fight with this mess of a decepticon. He started for his room door.

"Don't ignore me, glitch!"

Onslaught groaned. "I laughed because your mechs wouldn't touch mine."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Motor spat, making Onslaught reel back slightly.

"I mean Breakdown gets along with my team swimmingly"

"Don't you bring my little brother into this, scumbag!"

"He's friends with Brawl. Deadend is close with Blastoff and Dragstrip, Wildrider and Vortex are inseparable. The only one with a grudge here is you, and it's exhausting. Motormaster, forget whatever Megatron put in your head." Onslaught pushed his way into his quarters


	2. Chapter 2

Breakdown was all but vibrating as he wandered to Brawl's room. He brought two cubes of energon, one normal mud-grade, the other his favorite fizzy. He was going to confess. He knocked hesitantly on the door to Brawl's quarters and waited.

"Comin'!" The gruff, familiar voice shouted, and not a moment later, the door opened to reveal the friendly mech.

"H-Hey Brawl. Can we talk?" Break fidgeted and handed Brawl the flat energon.

"Oh? Sure little buddy! What is it?" Brawl gestured Breakdown in and closed his door.

"Um... It's kinda personal? You have to promise not to freak out."

"Oh... Kay? Sure!" Brawl was oblivious, and Break didn't know if that was in his favor or not.

"You see, there's this mech..."

Brawl immediately perked up.

"You like a mech!? Ah, breaks!" he threw his arms around his friend and squeezed.

"Yeah, kinda crushin' me big guy..."

"Ooh! Sorry..." Brawl let the smaller mech go.

"Yeah, and um, y-you know him..."

"It ain't soundwave is it?"

"No! I mean, ah, no, not Barricade either."

He wished it was Barricade. This would be easier if it was Barricade.

"Then who?" Brawl questioned, and Break could see the innocent blink behind his visor.

"Ah, it's, s-swindle..."

"Swin? You're into my little brother?"

"Don't say it like that!" Break could feel his faceplates heating. This was awful.

"Aw! That's cute!" Brawl threw an arm around his small friend. "When ya gonna confess?"

"Wha- you're not mad?"

"Nah! So, when Ya gonna say somethin'?"

"Never!" Breakdown's spark was spazztic. "He's way out of my league! And do you have any idea what Motor would do to me!? He hates you enough!"

Brawl laughed. "Yeah! He tried to wring my neck that one time! You should confess though. Swin ain't the type to throw his business out there, y'know? Worst he can do is laugh at you."

break wrung his hands. "I don't want that..." But he did want to try. He would confess! Soon... Someday...


	3. Chapter 3

Swindle was an easygoing mech, at least more so than most on the Nemesis. He didn't care how the war ended as long as he was able to turn a profit, and he was about to turn a lovely one.

"So, my good mech, what are you in for?"

Swindle perched in a darker than usual corner of the nemesis, where every mech knew where to find him. This "good mech" in particular was Frenzy. Small, childish and the cassette of one of the most valued mechs on the Nemesis. Surely he had money.

"I need a gun! A big one! That fragger skywarp was talkin smack about boss! I wanna teach him a lesson!"

Swindle grinned, the cassettes devotion to Soundwave was adorable. It was also profitable. "I have just what you need, my good mech." Swindle rummaged through his subspace for a small stun-gun.

"This," he began, smiling wide and as friendly as he could muster, "is exactly what you want" swindle waved it just out of Frenzy's grasp. "It's like a temporary immobilizer. Keeps the glitch from warping out of your punishment range.

Frenzy's optics went wide. "Ooh, how much you askin for it?"

"How much you got?"

"Unm.. 200?"

Swindle was unimpressed.

"250..?"

"Frenzy..."

"300's all I got! Any more and boss'll scrap me!"

Swindle swiped the little papers from the eager hand and tossed him the gun. "Pleasure doing business!"

"You just highway robbed a kid and ruined the rest of a poor seeker's week. Anything to say for yourself, brother of mine?"

"Vortex!" Swindle jumped and turned to face the mech who snuck behind him. "Don't scare me like that! An' who am I to deny someone service?"

"Service. Yeah..."

"Whatever interrogator, don't sadists like you spend your time torturing instead of pestering their little brothers?"

"The autoglitch I had in my playroom squeaked, so now I get all day to spend with my baby brother!"

"Whatever, creep. Just don't scare away any business."

"What, like freakshow over there?" Vortex nodded over to a mech hiding around a corner, almost unnoticed if not for his fidgeting.

"Ain't that one of the stunts? The little one with the panicky optics?" Swindle shifted, trying to make it unclear he was talking about anyone in particular. Never want to scare away a potential customer.

"Yeah... Looks like he's scared of us."

"He's scared of everyone."

"Sign of a scrap decepticon."

"The stunts've been around longer than we have, must be good for something if Menasaur can stay whole..." Swindle began to thumb through his stack of credits.

"I'm gonna spook him,"

"Not in my corner. You're gonna frag up business."

"Yeah, yeah..." Vortex wandered away, forgetting about spending the day with his brother, leaving swindle to eagerly wait for a customer. Or for the fidgeting mech around the corner to speak up.

As if he could read Swindle's mind, the shaking stunticon who was now without a doubt breakdown, peeped from his corner to look at swindle.

"... You in the market, stunt?"

Breakdown sputtered and sped out of sight again.

"... Whatever..."


End file.
